Five-year arc
2026–2031 Roadmap
Where Things Stand
February 19, 2026
- Board approved the four refreshed goals and strategies.
October 1, 2026
- The strategic plan begins in coordination with the fiscal year.
Elevate shared understanding among institutions, partners, and the broader higher education community of the enrollment and academic services ecosystem to strengthen transparent, equitable, and learner-centered institutional practices.
A: Position AACRAO as the primary source of professional knowledge in enrollment and academic services through evidence-based leadership and clear positioning.
B: Strengthen global and cross-sector partnerships to expand the influence of AACRAO beyond traditional higher-education contexts.
C: Promote policies, processes, and technologies that reduce friction, increase transparency, and enable timely recognition of learning across contexts into AACRAO standards, research, and training.
Advance evidence-based practice through applied research that informs ethical, interoperable, and effective institutional decision-making.
A: Establish AACRAO as the hub for applied, practitioner-centered research connecting theory, technology, and practice that translates into actionable guidance for institutional leaders and practitioners.
B: Advance ethical and equitable use of technology and AI in enrollment and academic services.
C: Cultivate multi-sector research partnerships that produce shared evidence and scalable models for learner success and improve institutional outcomes.
Nurture an inclusive, accessible, digitally connected professional community that supports lifelong learning, leadership development, and advancement across the AACRAO professions.
A: Build recognized credentials for broadening knowledge and skills as well as career pathways for the AACRAO core and emerging professions.
B: Deepen collaboration with state, regional, national, and global partners to form an integrated professional network.
C: Foster collaborative learning environments that promote peer exchange, skill-building, and succession within the profession.
Lead coordinated advocacy that advances higher education policies and practices equitably and effectively.
A: Position AACRAO as the trusted, data-informed voice on policy issues that shape how learning is documented, transferred, and recognized.
B: Support advocacy frameworks and awareness of emerging higher education issues that align national, state, and regional efforts around the policy priorities of AACRAO.
Impact Framework
How we know the plan is working
Every tactic in the plan is checked against one question before it counts as progress: who benefits, and how directly? The framework reads as follows:
“If we are successful with the strategic plan, then members, institutions, learners, the field, and AACRAO itself will each see a specific, measurable change.”
Members
Clearer career pathways, credentials that signal real skill, and a stronger, more connected professional community.
Institutions
More interoperable systems, evidence-based practices, and shared data standards that reduce friction between campuses.
Learners
Faster, more transparent recognition of their learning as it moves across institutions and contexts.
Field
Common standards and shared evidence that raise the credibility and consistency of the profession nationally.
AACRAO
A more sustainable, data-informed association with the capacity to keep leading on members’ behalf.
What will this plan mean in practice?
Over the next five years, AACRAO will translate these strategic priorities into meaningful outcomes for the people and communities we serve.
Quarterly Snapshot
This is the overview view of AACRAO’s live progress dashboard, refreshed quarterly by the Strategy & Planning team once the plan is underway.
